QE2 Captain, Pilot Say Ship’s Speed Was Safe

The Queen Elizabeth 2 was moving fast, but not too fast, when it hit bottom earlier this month, its captain and the local pilot guiding the cruise ship at the time testified at a Coast Guard hearing Monday.

The 937-foot luxury liner had increased speed to 24 knots the night of Aug. 7 before striking submerged rocks off the coast of southern Massachusetts. No one was injured, but 1,815 passengers were evacuated at sea.

The ship suffered extensive hull gashes and is in dry dock here for repairs.

Coastal pilot John Hadley, who was brought aboard to navigate the QE2 through a relatively narrow passage near Martha’s Vineyard, said he normally would pass through the area slower with such a large ship, but he felt secure because the QE2 has an excellent crew.

Nautical charts indicated a depth of 39 feet in the area, ample for the cruise ship, whose hull extends 32 feet below the surface under normal conditions.

Divers for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found uncharted rocky outcroppings over the weekend thought to be those struck by the ship. They lie at a depth of about 35 feet.

Hadley testified that the QE2 can dip three feet farther below the surface in some ocean conditions.

Capt. Robin Woodall also defended the 24-knot speed at the hearing on Monday. Both men were recalled after appearing last week and for the most part repeated earlier testimony.